A Birthday in San Diego

I have for years wanted to go to the coast for my birthday.  This year Melody and I finally did it.  Much thanks, up front, to the Fabulous Melody for booking the flights and the hotel.  She's one of the best things that ever happened to me.  And she has a friend who gives us a deal at Marriott.  We had a bay view room on the 23rd floor, so swanky.

Breakfast every morning was at the Broken Yolk Cafe.  The food was good; we could walk from the hotel, and it had this awesome fan.   

After Eggs Benedict under the Big Ass Fan, we took a trolley tour of San Diego, with a stop in Balboa Park.  See the lovely Spanish architecture.

The botanical gardens in the park grew the prettiest orchids I've ever seen.  

Back on the San Diego port.   

On our second day we took the ferry across the bay to Coronado Island.  When I took this picture of Melody she said that it better not end up on Facebook.  She said nothing about the blog.

Coronado Beach

My toes in the water.   

The beach was gold, literally gold, white sand full of gold flecks, shimmery, iridescent, and indescribably beautiful. We spent the afternoon reading, walking in the water, reading some more, eating, chasing a seagull away from our leftovers (Melody did the chasing), and getting the worst sunburn I've had in years. Strange, we didn't even think about the chance of sunburn. It's March. It was a nice cool day.  We were wearing shorts and t-shirts, so fully clothed, and yet we were both flaming red by the end of the day. Best way to get a sunburn ever.

Coronado Beach is the setting for the Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis movie "Some Like it Hot".  This is the Hotel del Coronado, also in the film.  It's gorgeous.  The trolley tour man said that the wood was shipped down from Northern California by boat, and that it's the largest coastal, wood hotel in the world. 

We got home last night, exhausted, sore, relaxed and happy.  Happy Birthday to me.

For My Cousins

My cousin and her husband recently lost their little boy, Drake.  He was born with cardiomyopathy (a heart condition) and died a few days later.  He was a fighter.  The doctors didn't expect him survive through her pregnancy.  He just kept holding on, and I was beginning to think that he was really going to make it.  My cousin and her husband handled everything with so much strength, an inspiration to all of us.  This is a little something I wrote for them.

Drake

Born to a mother and father whose love sustained him
Beyond all expectations,
Drake had a valiant spirit
Determined to have its small piece of this life

Before going on
Into the arms of the Lord,
To be cherished there
In his home in heaven,

Cherished by grandparents,
Great-grandparents, all those
Who have gone
On before him.

These great souls
Who see their children’s generations,
Who are angels
Watching over them,

Now have Drake in their midst,
So small, with the sweetest face,
So dearly loved,
So painfully missed,

Yet given over to God
By his parents with unshaken faith,
Showing their beautiful,
Gracious strength,

Supported by God,
By family,
By friends,
By generations of love,

And by Drake’s love
Radiating to them from heaven,
Giving them a tie
To eternity

Season's Greetings

It’s going to be a quiet Christmas for me this year. I will go to church and then to Barry and Melody’s for dinner. Actually, I might go to church with them before dinner. That might be nice. The Utah siblings always get together on Christmas Eve. It carries on one of the best things from Christmases when we were kids.

Christmas Eve was a big deal. We had a traditional dinner of spare ribs and potatoes with some vegetables mixed in, and mom always made lutefisk for dad. I think that Dad grew up with Christmas Eve spare ribs, and that’s why we had them. If you’ve never had lutefisk on your dinner plate, then count yourself lucky. It’s pretty vile. I don’t know why the Norwegians would sully Christmas with such a horrible food, but then again winter is very cold in Norway and dark for 20 of the 24 hours in a day, and that does something to the psyche. Lutefisk is cod or any other whitefish, dried and salted and mixed with lye. Its name literally means "lye fish." Don’t ask me, I don’t get it either, but dad loves the stuff. He pours melted butter on that jelly looking glob and eat it up. I can still see the butter on his chin.

After dinner we opened presents from our grandparents, aunts and uncles. Oh the joy of a child ripping into boxes that she’s sat by the tree and stared at, held and shaken, hoped to “accidently” rip the corner of paper off of just to get a peak, and driven her mother crazy to open just one a day early. Finally, FINALLY it was time to open presents, sheer exhilaration. I loved Christmas Eve almost more than Christmas day then, so it’s very nice that Aaron, Barry, Marla and I and their families still get together to celebrate.

I feel very content this year. It’s nice to feel the Christmas spirit again. I don’t know why I’m so much happier than I’ve been during Christmases past. I’m still single, still no children, still working retail (oh the horror), but nothing about that seems so bad this time. In fact, it isn’t bad at all. Maybe I’m maturing. Whatever it is, I’m happy with what I have and not so worried about the rest, and that’s a wonderful gift.
Have a very happy holiday season!

You are loved.

A Gift Idea

This year I bought an advent calendar from Jacquie Lawson, a website with e-cards and other fun, gifty things.  I absolutely love it!  I've sent a few off as gifts to friends hoping that they have as much fun as I've had.  Here's the link http://www.jacquielawson.com/advent/london?source=jl510.  They calendars are beautiful, inexpensive, and easy to send off.  If you're like me, you'll get two for yourself so that you can have one on every computer.

Let's Review

I have not been on here for awhile. And since none of you have anything better to do than sit and wait for a post from me, I’m sure this has been a difficult few weeks. I am sorry. Here’s a recap.


Thanksgiving was perfect. Mom and Dad were in town; girls were home from school; we ate and played games and enjoyed general merriment. Any day that ends with cheese ball has to be counted a good.

William and Jonah slept at my house that night because Marla had to work early in the morning. Any day that starts with William’s sweet face nose-to-nose with mine as he climbs into my bed has to be counted as good.

Jonah’s birthday is tomorrow. Remember the gift-giving episode of last year? Well, his excitement/fixation/mania/panic started even earlier this year. So we struck a deal – I would give him his gift from me if he’d lay off the constant talk about nothing else, and keep his mother from losing her mind. He agreed, and got his Lego Star Wars kit. I don’t know that he has behaved perfectly since, but Marla said the pressure on her has come down, with a few outbursts here and there. Of course, no nine-year old (ten tomorrow!) boy can go without some slips.

Speaking of slips, I have done pretty well without the Diet Coke. The first couple of weeks were great, but on Thanksgiving Day I sank like a drunken pirate with his rum. I had planned to have a soda on the holiday. I think that “a soda” turned into a 2 liter bottle of soda – I can’t be sure. It’s all very vague.

Back on track and Coke-free now, though, and feeling pretty good.

And now it’s Christmas time. Barry, Melody, Savannah and I went to the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional last night. It was wonderful, as always. Melissa and I bought a Christmas tree on Saturday, and have done other decorating to make the apartment festive and cozy. I’ve got cards to send, and am mostly done with shopping. The bookstore is getting busy, but manageable. I’m determined not to let anything that happens in the retail world make me grumpy this year. Christmas is too beautiful.

What a Bad Idea

I want a Diet Coke so bad.  Whose dumb, *&#@, &&$%#%$%#%*&#@#& idea was this?


In other news, my boxed set, Harry Potter: The Complete Collection Years 1-7 shipped today, so that's something to look forward to.  If only I could enjoy a Diet Coke while watching it..... (sniff)...... Honestly!  Who did this?!

The End of the World as I Know It

I’ve come to a decision that has me a bit shaken. It will change life as I know it. I’m going to lay off the Diet Coke for a while. I know! I can hear the sharp intake of breathe, your cry of shock, and you haven’t even read this yet.


Diet Coke is an enormous part of who I am, of my being, my essence. It’s been my constant friend for more than 20 years. After years and years of denial, I’ve finally come to realize that this is a toxic relationship, addictive, and is doing me more harm than good. I was telling Marla this just this morning, and suggested that she should be my sponsor during addiction recovery, the person I call when I’m about to break, and she said that she’ll do this with me – no Diet Coke (or sodas) until the end of the year.

I feel pretty good about this decision, but I realize that after 20 years on the bottle, I don’t know who I am without it. What kind of Angie will I be after the caffeine, aspartame, caramel color, phosphoric acid and potassium benzoate are gone? I’m thinking that for the first few days I’ll have a screaming headache and be madder ‘n hell. Maybe I should go into hiding somewhere during detox for everyone’s benefit? But then, after that, who knows? I might not even remember you people. Heck, you might not be real. It could be that I have spent the last decades in a NutraSweet induced psychosis and completely delusional. You are all in my head, imaginary friends, just like in that movie “A Beautiful Mind”.

I hope Marla’s real. She has to be my sponsor. But, I think she must be because I do have memories of her, and some pictures, from back before Diet Coke came along. We’re okay there.

So, I guess this could be goodbye to the Angie you’ve known so long. If the lack of caffeine doesn’t put me permanently to sleep, then I’ll update the blog, and if you really do exist, please give me a sign. Thanks.